Wire attachment for fenceposts



A. M. LANE. WIRE ATTACHMENT FOR FENCEPOSTS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7,1920.

1,35 ,991, Patented 001;. 26, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED M. LANE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

WIRE ATTACHMENT FOR FENGEPOSTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Application filed June 7, 1920. Serial No. 387,062.

posts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire attaching means for fence posts.

Heretofore concrete posts have been equipped with members of one kind and another for securing barb wire or fencing to the posts; but no adequate provision has been made for renewing or replacing such fencing devices in case they are broken or' rust out; and usually such fencing devices are not adapted to permit the easy removal of the fencing or fence wire. The princlpal object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to obtain'other advantages hereinafter appearing.

The invention consists in a wire holding member adapted for attachment to a concrete fence post, as hereinafter described; it also consists in a concrete fence post having pockets adapted toreceive and cooperate with a wire holding attachment and in means for anchoring said attachments in said pockets. The invention further consists in the parts and arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms partof the specification, and wherem like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a portion of a concrete fence post, showing a metallic pocket and a wire holding member mounted therein in accordance with my invention;

. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the wire holding member being only partially inserted in the metallic pocket and showing the shank portion thereof asit appears before its legs are spread apart by the wedge ing pin;

Fig. a post and of one of the wire holding members thereof;

Fig. 4: is a vertical section through the post and the metallic pocket thereof on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3, the wire holding member being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section through 3 is a side elevation of a portion of.

the metallic pocket and the shank portion of the wire holding member on the line 55 of Fig. 1, the section being taken through the wedge pin; and

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the metallic pocket which receives the shank portion of the wire holding member.

In the drawing, 7 indicates a concrete fence post having'a metallic pocket or box 8 embedded in one side face thereof. The metallic pocket is of dovetail or reversed wedge shape and is provided with a cover or lid 9 which is held in position on the pocket by means of tabs 10, which project upwardly from the side and end walls of the box of the pocket and are bent over the top of the lid. The front or narrow end of the wedge pocket is open and terminates flush with the surface of the posts, thereby forming a wedge shaped metallic pocket or cavity in the side face of the post. At the front of the pocket, adjacent to the open mouth thereof, the top of the same is provided with an upwardly extending flange 11 and the bottom is provided with a downwardly extendingfiange 12, said flanges 11 and 12 being set in flush with the surface of the concrete fan-shaped pocket. The pocket slopes downwardly from its rear end toward its open front end for drainage purposes, the proper slope of the pocket being obtained by means of flanges 11 and 12, which bear flatwise against the post form during the pouring of the concrete. A wedging pin 13, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear, extends through the middleportion of the metallic pocket 8, from the top to the bottom thereof, and projects above and below the pocket for a short distance. If desired, a single rod maybe used in place of separate pins and extend the en- 1 tire lengthof the post, passing through a number of pockets and serving as a reinforcing member for the post.v

The member that serves to position and hold the fence wire comprises a shank portion 14, which is adapted to be inserted into the metallic pocket 8 through the opening in the front thereof, and a projecting portion 15, which is adapted to receive one of.

the horizontal wires 16 of the fencing. The shank portion 14, which is of a width corresponding to the width of the mouth of the metallic pocket 8, before being inserted into said pocket, is slotted or split at its middle, as at 17 from the rear edge to a point that will be outside of the pocket of the post in use, the slot terminating in a circular hole 17" and being preferably slightly greater than the depth of the pocket 8 The ends of the slot 17 are beveled or widened out as at 18 to permit the inner end of the legs 19 of the shank 1a to straddle the wedging pin 13. The opposite side margins of the legs of the split shank portion 1 1 are provided with. depending flanges 20, which Xtend from the rear end of the holding membertoward the front end thereof for a distance corresponding to the depth of the metallic pocket. The shank portion 1a and the projectin portion 15 of the holding member are stikened by ribs or corrugations 21.

The projecting front end portion 15 of the holding member is formed by bending the front portion thereof downwardly, as at 22, at an angle to the face of the post and thence outwardly and upwardly, and inardly and downwardly in the form of a spiral 23, whose inner coil terminates in the form of an outwardly projecting lip 24. The axis of the curled portion of the bracket is inclined both with respect to the plane of the shank portion and also with respect to the front face of the post, that is, both vertically and horizontally.

The holding member is anchored to the post by inserting its shank portion 15 into the metallic pocket 8 through the opening in the front end thereof with the beveled ends 18 of its legs 19 in contact with the wedging pin 13, as shown in Fig. 2. The holding member is then forced toward the rear wall of the pocket whereby said legs are forced against the wedging pin and spread apart. This spreading action continues until the rear end of the split shank portion strikes the rear wall of the pocket, in which position, the opposite side margins of the legs 19, by reason of the spreading action, assume an angle which correspond to the angle of the side walls of the pocket. The spreading apart of the legs 19 causes the distance across the split shank portion 14: to be increased to a dimension that is greater than the distance across the mouth of the metallic pocket and causes the side edges thereof to engage the side walls of said pocket whereby the fan-shaped shank portion acts after the manner of a reversed wedge and prevents the withdrawal of the shank portion from the metallic pocket.

To insert the fence wire into the curled portion 23 of the holding member, the wire is pressed down between the down turned. portion 22 of the holding member and the inner coil of the curled portion 23. The wire is then pulled forward until it clears the lip 24 of the inner coil and is then permitted to spring up into a position above said lip. When in this position, by reason of the inclination of the curled portion with respect to the surface of the post, the wire engages the inner wall of the inner coil of the curled portion on one side of the bracket and the inner wall of the outer coil on the opposite side of the bracket. In the event of the wire 16 breaking, the barb 16 thereon will be caught by the coil 28 of the holding member and thus prevent the wire from being pulled therethrough and from s gging greatly between the posts.

The holding member may be removed from its pocket by cutting or breaking the shank portion crosswise ion a line "substantially flush with the front surface of the post and passing through the circular hole 17 at the front .end of the slot 17. This severs the legs 19 from the shank portion 15 and permits the legs to be withdrawn separately from the pocket.

1 With the arrangement described, it will be seen that the holding members can be easily and quickly anchored to the posts and can be readily replaced when worn out. The tendency of the metallic pocket and the curled portion of the holding member to rust out is reduced to a minimum by the sloping of these parts to prevent the accumulation of moisture. If desired, the holdin member may be disposed with its curled portion uppermost to prevent accumulation of water therein.

The invention permits of considerable modification without departing from the invention. For instance, the metallic pocket may be made in the form of a casting, having a wedging portion formed integral therewith instead of the sheet metal pocket and separate wedging pin shown in. the drawing. 1

What I 'claimis:

1. The combination with a concretepost having a pocket of a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to enter said pocket and a portion adapted to receive a wire, said pocket having means therein in position to spread apart the split portions of the shank when the same are forced into said pocket, thereby preventing withdrawal of the shank portion from the pocket.

2. The combination with a concetelpost having a pocket formed therein, of a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to be inserted into said pocket and a curled portion adapted to receive a fence wire, said pocket having a portion adapted to spread apart the split portions of the shank when the same is inserted into said pocket, thereby preventing the withdrawal of said shank portion from the pocket.

3. The combination with a concrete post that has a pocket in its side and 'a wedging piece in said pocket, of a wire holding attachment therefor comprising a shank portion split lengthwise, said shank portion being adapted to enter the mouth of said pocket and be spread widerthan said mouth by forcing its legs past said wedging piece.

4. The combination with a' concrete post that has a pocket in its side, of a wire holding attachment that has a split shank adapt-' ed to enter said pocket, said pocket having a wedging member therein in position to spread apart the legs of said split shank when said shank is forced inwardly against said wedging member.

5. The combination with a concrete post having, a pocket formed therein, of a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to be inserted into said pocket and a curled portion adapted to receive a fence wire, said pocket having a wedging pin therein adapted to be engaged by the split portions of the shank when the same is inserted into said pocket, thereby preventing the withdrawl of said shank portion from the pocket.

6. The combination with a concrete post having a pocket formed in its side, of a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to enter said pocket and a curled portion adapted to receive a fence wire, said pocket being of reversed wedge shape and having a wedging pin extending therethrough in position to spread apart the split portion of the shank when the same is inserted into said pocket, whereby the shankportion assumes a shape corresponding to the shape of said pocket and its withdrawal therefrom is prevented.

7. The combination with a concrete post having a pocket formed therein whose opposite walls are inclined toward each other at the mouth thereof, of a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to be inserted into said pocket and a curled end portion adapted to receive a fence wire, said pocket having means therein adapted to spread apart the split portion of the shank when the same is inserted into said pocket, thereby preventing the withdrawal of said shank portion from said pocket. r

8. The combination with a concrete fence post having a pocket formed therein whose width. is greater at its rear portion than at its mouth, of a wire holding member therefor comprising a split shank portion adapted to be inserted into the mouth of said pocket and a portion adapted to receive as fence wire, said pocket having a wedging pin extending therethrough adapted to enter the split in the shank portion and spread apart the split portions thereof when the shank is forced into said pocket, thereby preventing the withdrawal of the shank portion therefrom.

9. The combination with a concrete post of a metallic pocket, a wire holding member an opening substantially flush with the surface of the concrete, said case being narrower at its open end than at its rear end, a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to be inserted into said metallic case and a curled end portion adapted to receive a fence wire, and a rod extending through said metallic case, said rod being in position to enter the slit in said shank portion when the same is inserted into said case to spread apart the split portion of said shank and cause the sides thereof to bear against the side wallsof the metallic case, thereby preventing the with drawal of the shank portion therefrom.

11. The combination with a concrete post, of a metallic case embedded in the concrete and having an opening flush with the surface thereof, said case sloping downwardly from its rear wall toward its open end for drainage purposes and having side walls inclined toward each other from its rear end toward its open front end, a wire holding member comprising a split shank portion adapted to be inserted in said case and a curled portion adapted to receive a fence wire, said curled portion being inclined for drainage purposes both with respect to the face of the post and with respect to the plane of the shank portion, and a pin extending through said case and into the concrete on opposite sides thereof, said pin being adapted to enter the slit in said shank portion when said portion is inserted into said case and spread apart the split portions thereof, thereby preventing the withdrawal of said shank portion from said case.

12. The combination with a concrete post that has a pocket in its side and a wedging piece in said pocket, of a wire holding attachment therefor comprising a shank portion split lengthwise, said wedging piece being adapted to enter the slit in said shank to spread apart the legs of said split shank when said shank is forced inwardly against said wedging piece, the ends of the slit in said shank portion terminating outside of said post whereby said wire holding attachment may be removed from said pocket by cutting the shank portion on a line passing through the slit therein.

13. A wire holding attachment for a concrete structure comprising a wide shank portion split longitudinally to adapt it to be spread into a dovetail shape and a curled portion adapted to receive a Wife.

14. A Wire holding attachment for a concrete post comprising a sheet metal member having a wide shank portion split longitudinally to adapt it to be s-read into a dovetail shape and a curled portion adapted to receive a fence wire, the axis of said curled portion being; inclined with respect to the plane of the shank portion.

15. A Wire holding attachment for a concrete post comprising a wide shank portion adapted to enter a pocket in the post and a curled portion adapted to receive a fence Wire, said shank portion being split longitudinally to adapt it to be spread out into a dovetail shape, the length of the slit being of a length that will permit the same to extend beyond the post when the shank portion is inserted therein.

16.. A wire holding attachment for -a concrete ipost comprising a shank portion split longitudinally "to adapt it to be spread into a dovetail shape and a curled end portion adapted to receive a fence Wire, the axis of the curled end portion of said attachment being inclined both With respect to the plane or the shank portion and with respect to the longitudinal axis of said shank portion.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this etth day of June, 1920.

ALF-RED M. LANE. 

